03 Jun Regional Tech Summit Speakers Announced

Our Regional Tech Summit is less than a month away and so it’s time to announce our excellent line up of guest speakers. On June 25 ^th, several influential and innovative thought leaders will speak about diversity, technology and the Caribbean. Below are a few speakers you’ll see at this year’s Regional Tech Summit. We will be constantly updating this post with more speakers and event information so continue to visit for more Regional Tech Summit news.

Eveline Pierre, C0-Founder of Miami Caribbean Code &  Founder Haitian Heritage Museum

Eveline Pierre is the Founder, Executive Director of the 1st Haitian Heritage Museum, outside of Haiti and a best selling author. As the Executive Director Ms. Pierre’s primary focus is to create a legacy for the future generation while educating the world about the many contributions by the Haitian people. Ms. Pierre’s expertise is in the field of Arts & Entertainment. Recently Ms. Pierre founded the Miami Chapter of Women’s Technology Alliance.

Jason Mazier, Founder and Host of devLatino

Jason Mazier is the Founder and Host of devLatino – The Digital Empowerment Voyage. devLatino’s goal is to highlight Latinos in technology and the digital space. devLatino provides great tips on using tech, best practices for startups and advice on how to grow your small business.

Jason is also the President of Mazier Media, Inc., an Integrated Marketing Agency. He has over 15 years experience working on a variety of multi-channel marketing campaigns for clients including Boyce Technologies, JPMorgan Chase, Huntington National Bank, BMO Harris Bank, LiveNation, the Broward Center for Performing Arts, and Holy Cross Hospital.

Dr . Irma Becerra, Provost for St.Thomas University

Most recently, Dr. Becerra-Fernandez served as the Vice President, Office of Engagement at Florida International University (FIU). She served in a number of academic and senior management positions at FIU since 1990, and has a broad educational background that spans the fields of engineering, information technology and business. She is an internationally recognized expert in the fields of knowledge management, business intelligence, entrepreneurship, and disaster management, and is known and respected as a “creative innovator” in the design of programs. “St. Thomas University is gaining a star in Dr. Irma Becerra-Fernandez,” said FIU President Mark B. Rosenberg. “The partnerships she has created and nurtured at FIU have advanced our mission as a solutions center for our community and I’m sure she will bring the same energy, commitment and intellectual rigor to the office of the provost at St. Thomas University.”

During her tenure at FIU, Dr. Becerra-Fernandez succeeded in a variety of complex challenges, from improved graduation rates to donor relations, and increased resource acquirement. She has coordinated various important community partnerships, including the stewardship of the One Community One Goal’s Academic Leaders Council. Prior to her employment in academia, Dr. Becerra-Fernandez was an Engineer at Florida Power and Light.

Alexander Britell, Founder & Editor in Chief of Caribbean Journal

Alexander Britell , a graduate of Harvard College and the University of Miami School of Law, is the founder and Editor in Chief of Caribbean Journal, the world’s largest website covering the Caribbean. Britell , whose earlier career included stints at the New York Sun, the Jerusalem Post and The Real Deal Magazine, is the winner of two recent Caribbean Media Awards from the Caribbean Tourism Organization.

He also recently launched a new site called Cuba Journal, which will serve as a gateway into the vastly changing world of Cuba following the historic rapprochement with the United States last year.

Donald Kelly, Host of “ The Sales Evangelist Podcast “

Donald Kelly is an award winning speaker, sales coach and host of “The Sales Evangelist Podcast”. His podcast has recently receive national recognition from Entrepreneur Magazine, Huffington Post, Yahoo Finance and The South Florida Business Journal as an emerging entrepreneurial po dcast. When he’s not traveling the country evangelizing the message of effective selling, offering workshops, keynote presentations or coaching clients, Donald loves to spend time with his beautiful wife soaking in the South Florida sun!

Tia Dubuisson, President of Belle Fleur Technologies

President of Belle Fleur Technologies since February 2013. Mrs. Dubuisson leads the Agile Architecture business for Belle Fleur Technologies with a proven track record of implementing Agile for both Start-ups and Fortune 500 clients. Prior to Belle Fleur Technologies she has served in various leadership positions in the Biotechnology space for over 10 years. Mrs. Dubuisson earned her bachelor’s degree from Pepperdine University and her Master’s of Microbiology from Georgia State University. Happily married to Jacques Dubuisson and the proud mother of Jolie and Tiana.

Jamie Rosenberg, CEO & Founder of ClassWallet

Jamie is no stranger to technology, having launched two successful education technology companies. Jamie ’s journey from mergers & acquisitions lawyer to social entrepreneur is a living example of how one person can change the world.

Jamie ‘s first company, AdoptAClassroom.org, is one of the first crowd funding sites on the Internet. Through AdoptAClassroom.org, Jamie partnered donors with classrooms raising over $25M for teachers in 30% of schools in America, and improving the learning environment for 3.5M students.

Currently, Jamie is the Founder and CEO of ClassWallet, an industry leading funds management and tracking platform for school systems which boasts some of the largest organizations in the country as customers.

Perside Foster, Oracle Principal Technical Consultant

Born and raised in Massacre, Dominica until the age of 9, Marlon Williams is the Founder and CEO of Fenero, a licensing-free and cloud-based contact center software as a service. Prior to running Fenero, Marlon served as the Director of Information Services at Inktel Contact Center Solutions and CEO of Firstaid Software, an electronic medical records startup that was sold to a competitor. He’s the immediate past Treasurer of Miami-Dade County Public School’s S.T.E.M. Advisory Board, immediate past President of the Society for Information Management’s South Florida Chapter and current Board Member for the South Florida Digital Alliance.

Natalie Cofield, President & CEO of Greater Austin Black Chamber of Commerce

A millennial that found inspiration at the nexus of business, community and politics, Cofield has carved a niche for herself as an entrepreneur, advocate, and speaker on all things business and diversity. Her work has spanned continents, communities and corporations and can currently be found impacting lives and bottom­lines at organizations in cities including Austin, New York, DC, LA, Sao Paulo, Johannesburg, Nairobi and beyond.

Cofield is currently the President & CEO for the Greater Austin Black Chamber of Commerce in Austin, Texas, the founding President of the Austin Black Technology Council and founder of Walker’s Legacy, a national women in business collective established in 2009. Cofield serves on the board of directors for South by Southwest Eco, the CleanTX Foundation, on the corporate advisory board of BioDrill, a renewable energy company and was named the Google Diversity Evangelist of the Year in 2013.

Brian Fonseca, Director of Operations at FIU’s Applied Research Center

Brian Fonseca is the Director of Operations at Florida International University’s (FIU) Applied Research Center (ARC) and has been an adjunct professor with FIU’s Latin American and Caribbean Center (LACC) and the Department of Politics and International Relations since 2010. Mr. Fonseca joins ARC after serving as the Senior Research Manager for Socio-Cultural Analysis (SCA) at United States Southern Command. Mr. Fonseca has authored numerous classified and open sourced publications on a wide range of security-related topics. Mr. Fonseca has conducted extensive field research throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. Mr. Fonseca ’s holds a Master’s Degree in International Business and a Bachelor’s degree in International Relations from Florida International University in Miami, Florida, and  is currently working towards his Ph.D. at the University of Miami. He has attended Sichuan University in China and National Defense University in Washington D.C. From 1997 to 2004, he served in the United States Marine Corps and facilitated the training of foreign military forces in both hostile theaters and during peace time operations.

Stephanie Pavolini, Manager of International Trade Development for Latin America & the Caribbean

Stephanie Pavolini is the Manager of International Trade Development for Latin America & the Caribbean. She is responsible for giving export consulting to Florida companies and assisting in the trade missions. Prior to joining EFI, Stephanie was a Business Development Consultant with the Hispanic Business Initiative Fund of Florida, Inc. (HBIF) There, she provided consulting to Hispanic-owned businesses, including an in-depth business analysis, incorporation guidance, business and marketing plan review, minority certification and loan preparation. She spearheaded the region’s government relations efforts as part of effective community outreach and major fundraising initiative. She also worked as an associate for People Engaged in Active Community Efforts, Inc. (PEACE) where she trained 60+ community leaders annually to conduct research, develop strategies and advocate for local policy changes.

Anie Akpe, Principal at Innov8tiv &  Founder of IBOM LLC

As founder of IBOM LLC, Akpe aids small businesses around the world, particularly those owned by African entrepreneurs in the Diaspora, guiding business development and strategy and leading sound results in the completion of their business goals. A native of Nigeria, she meshes her global experience and culture with skills from stellar corporate America leadership to provide unique and results-driven services to her clients.

Innov8tiv.com is a subsidiary of IBOM LLC, adding to her company’s mission to not only advocate entrepreneurship among global professionals of color, but dynamic technology information, resources, events and media.

Darryl Doonie, Co-founder of Luminary Central

Darryl is a second-generation entrepreneur with a diverse and unique skill set garnered across various industries and functional positions. He’s known for his ability to craft executable strategies, develop and lead teams, and uncover value. Over the last 15  years, Darryl has owned, operated,  acquired, divested, invested, and advised numerous entities globally. His international experiences on both buy and sell sides of public and private transactions, ranging from $10 million to over $2 billion, also serve to shape his unique perspectives and insights.

Carlos Vazquez, Enstitute Miami Director

Carlos is passionate about social justice and ensuring that all young people have the ability to achieve their fullest potential. He brings over ten years of non-profit sector experience to the Enstitute team. Most recently through his role as Program Manager for Year Up PTC Miami he worked to close the opportunity divide for young adults between the ages of 18-24 through professional skills training and a six-month internship. In addition, Carlos is an adjunct professor with Miami Dade College’s School of Engineering and Technology (ENTEC). He holds an MS in Web Strategy and Design along with an MS in Education.

Laurent Salvador Lamothe,  Former Prime Minister of Haiti

Laurent Salvador Lamothe is a Haitian political figure who has   served in the government of Haiti as Minister of Foreign Affairs since October 2011, having been appointed Prime Minister on 4 May  2012.

Angelica Medina, Girls Who  Code Miami Program Manager

Angelica is passionate about providing economic opportunity and mobility for women and girls through education. She came to Girls Who Code from Women  Employed; a Chicago based non-profit advocating for women in the workplace and higher education. Seeing the incredible opportunity that technology and Computer Science education provides women and girls, she was excited to come make the Girls Who Code Summer Immersion Program in Miami a success.

Maia Sharpley, Vice President  for Strategy and Innovation  with Kaplan, Inc
Maia Sharpley is Vice President for Strategy and Innovation with Kaplan, Inc., the global educational services company and largest subsidiary of Graham Holdings Company (GHC). In this role, Sharpley develops and executes startups, managing businesses from concept to creation to daily operations. She currently leads the Dreamers Education Initiative, a scholarship-funded college degree program for young undocumented immigrants who have been denied access to higher education and Kaplan EdTech Accelerator, an incubator for education-technology startups run by Kaplan in partnership with Techstars, the number one accelerator in the world.

Ronald Brisé, Florida Public  Service Commissioner

In 2010, Ronald A. Brisé became the first Haitian-American to be appointed to the Florida Public Service Commission and to chair the Commission from 2012-2014.  Then as a legislator and now as a regulatory commissioner, Commissioner Brisé works to expand access to technology and the digital economy.  He serves as a Board member of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC), as President of the Southeastern Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (SEARUC), and as Co-Chair of the National Utilities Diversity Council, among others. His work on telecommunications policy led him to testify before the U.S. Senate in June 2015.

Jason Ibarra, Chapter Director at Startup Grind Miami

Jason Ibarra is the Chapter Director of Startup Grind Miami and Digital Director at Tropic Survival, a Miami-based advertising agency. While he’s a digital strategy expert focused on building winning teams, his marketing and business acumen transcends Internet marketing. At heart he’s an entrepreneur using his adroit mind to solve problems, build businesses and empower social change.

Moreover, he’s constantly motivated to make a difference in the world. As a first generation Cuban-American, the Caribbean will always be a significant part of his life. As part of his commitment to South Florida’s entrepreneurial and tech community he spends time in advisory and director roles on the boards of TEDxMiami and SFIMA, the South Florida Interactive Marketing Association.

Douglas Mayorga, President and Global Director of Minority Chamber of Commerce

Since assuming his position in 2000 as the President and Global Director of the Minority Chamber of Commerce, Mr. Mayorga has built the Chamber into a business and professional economic development resource with expanded influence across the United States and Latin America. He established and communicated the strategic importance of multicultural markets and improved business relations between Chamber members, outside corporations, and the U.S. government. He is responsible for translating and transforming the strategic objectives of multicultural markets from the conceptual stage into realized profitable initiatives for the members inside both emerging countries and the corporate world in America.

Ingrid Riley, Founder of Connectimass

Ingrid is an Entrepreneur and has been in the technology, digital media and events industry for just over 15 years. She is the Founder of Connectimass, the award-winning not for profit entity, that’s been creating content, community and events for aspiring and current innovators in the Caribbean Tech Industry since 2007.

Pascale Elie, General Manager of HaitiPay

Pascale Elie, is general manager of HaitiPay, an electronic payment company operating a mobile money network in Haiti. A seasoned project manager, Pascale heads the FINTech start-up in it’s quest to transform Haiti’s cash-based economy into a more inclusive and efficient one, by building the infrastructure conducive to the usage of electronic money. Pascale Elie successfully launched in may 2013, HaitiPay’s mobile money service called “LajanCash”, after one year of pilots and negotiating a joint venture with a sponsor bank, the National Bank of Credit (BNC). “LajanCash” which means, “Cash money” in creole, is a catchy oxymoron for a mobile money service >> says Elie, a strong #BetterthenCash advocate. Leading one of the fastest growing mobile money network in the Caribbean, Pascale Elie, is making her way as a top woman entrepreneur in the region. She was recently recognized as the National Finalist in the “Emerging sector” category of the Digicel Entrepreneur of the year Awards 2014.

Sandra Florvella-Pierre, Founder of Haitian Businesses

As a native of Cap Haitien, Haiti at 15 years old her family relocated to America, since U.S. education was a priority for her family. Sandra studied Business Administration at Lynn University. In March 2014, she founded ‘Haitian Businesses’, a movement to support the Haitian Community by promoting their businesses. On that platform businesses in return receive support from the Haitian Community.

James Osteen, Executive Director of the South Florida Digital Alliance

James Osteen is the Executive Director of the South Florida Digital Alliance which is an unprecedented collaboration of diverse South Florida leaders dedicated to deploying next generation broadband technology, closing the digital divide and creating new economic, educational and social opportunities through widespread community adoption and use of technology.  Jim is a seasoned IT Executive with a proven track record in the design and delivery of cost-effective, high-performance technology solutions which provide optimal results from available resources.  Jim’s IT experience involves all facets of software application development, strategic planning, business continuity, infrastructure resource planning and administration, change management,   process automation, contract management, internet/intranet development, infrastructure resource planning, infrastructure security, digital inclusion program planning and implementation (Elevate Miami), operations support and systems integration.

[Updated Weekly]

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